Record your Garden Analysis and Assessment

Now that you have completed your survey and your site analysis, you can go ahead and get this information onto paper. Each step that you take in this process is important, and this is no different. The simple act of writing down and doing some sketches to record the results of your work to date will ensure that first of all you will remember and understand it better, and secondly it is there for you check back on as you work through your design stage.

Use your graph paper or scale rule to help you scale you drawing and to keep your lines where you want them to be. If you don’t have some graph paper, simply e-mail me and I’ll send you some free of charge. Start with the plot outline and the location of the house, and then add your fixed points such as trees and existing circulation pathways and driveways. You don’t have to get it all onto one piece of paper. You can separate it onto different sheets, for instance one for the rear garden, one for the front and one for the orchard area. You can do a separate drawing to record what you find near the house or to set out what you have found out about the area that you want to design first.

Keep your drawing neat and tidy. You may like to begin you plan in pencil so the any mistakes can be erased. Then, when you are satisfied that you have included everything, go over the completed survey and analysis drawing in black pen. It is important to remember that once your survey and analysis drawing is complete that you should never use it to draw on during the design stage. Make copies and set it aside. You will need it again.

Put any notes and information on the margins and use arrows to connect the information to the drawing itself. This will keep the sheet clear of clutter.

When drawing your site plan remember that it does not need to be absolutely perfect, good enough is enough.